Green hydrogen was used to win votes – LPM

Landless People’s Movement parliamentarian Eneas Emvula has cast doubt on the realisation of green hydrogen aspirations, claiming that it was just a political tool to solicit votes.

This is despite the Presidency maintaining that the project remains part of Namibia’s development plans.

The hydrogen project, launched in 2022 and led by Hyphen Hydrogen Energy in the Tsau //Khaeb National Park, is estimated to cost US$10 billion.

The project aims to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050.

It further aims to create a green-fuels industry with a production target of 10 to 12 million tonnes per annum of hydrogen equivalent by 2050.

Emvula says the current administration is shifting its focus to the oil and gas sector, following efforts to pass the petroleum bill that would place the sector under the Presidency.

His claims follow last Thursday’s admission by minister of industries, mines and energy Modestus Amutse in the National Assembly, where he acknowledged that no green hydrogen act currently exists.

“The confession by the minister proved that these ‘national’ short-lived projects are personal dreams that these presidents sold to the country, not investors, by way of political campaign messages to solicit votes,” Emvula says.

Emvula says government objectives and the green hydrogen project will continue to stumble without a guiding principle, which should be established and referred to as the “legal basis.”

He says the minister’s admission is commendable and should be applauded, as it may encourage investors to understand the current dynamics and offer constructive guidance.

Meanwhile, press secretary Jonas Mbambo yesterday said the project remains part of Namibia’s development vision as one of the strategic sectors for economic diversification.

“At the same time, the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) also recognises opportunities in oil and gas, which means Namibia is pursuing a balanced energy approach, where one sector does not cancel out the other,” he said.

Mbambo said many developed countries used fossil fuels to build their economies, adding that as a developing country, Namibia has the right to responsibly utilise its natural resources for the benefit of its people, without putting all its eggs in one basket.

Mbambo said engagements with key sectors of the economy form part of president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s ongoing programmes.

Amutse has defended the project, stating that it remains part of NDP6, despite Emvula’s claim that it was never included in Vision 2030 before the plan was compiled.

“Although there is no stand-alone act enacted by parliament, the sector is not unregulated, as it is governed by a comprehensive body of legislation.

This means it is subjected to the Environmental Management Act, the Electricity Act, and the Water Resource Management Act,” says the line minister.

Political analyst Sakaria Johannes says: “The government seems to have reversed or the focus shifted to oil and gas. The dream seems to be impossible.”

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